


The Decision

by Babyphd



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:28:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 12,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27759151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Babyphd/pseuds/Babyphd
Summary: After all that has occurred, will Jed Bartlet be President once again?Sequel to Fallout
Relationships: Abbey Bartlet/Jed Bartlet
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

It was Saturday afternoon and Leo was working in his White House office trying to catch up on the constant flow of paperwork and briefing papers that were always coming across his desk. President Russell was home at the Naval Observatory, trying to rest after a hectic first week as Commander in Chief. The two men had gradually worked out their differences and come to an understanding as to work practices. And by Friday it seemed that the tension between the two very politically astute men had eased. It had also been a positive week for Leo personally when Abbey had called him last night with the news that Jed had shown the beginning signs of coming out of his coma. At the time of the call, he had yet to open his eyes, but he had followed several directions such as squeezing Abbey’s hand and responding to pain. He wished he could see him, but Abbey had requested that nobody come. She wanted him to be more aware before allowing anyone else to be around him.

A knock on his door caused him to look up. He was surprised to see Ron Butterfield. “May I come in, Mr. McGarry?”

“Sure, Ron. Have a seat. Is there a problem?”

“Sir, can I be blunt with you?”

“Of course, Ron. I wouldn’t want you to be anything less.”

Leo could see Ron was a little uncomfortable with whatever he was about to say, which was unusual for the Chief of Presidential Security. “Just say what you need to say, Ron.”

“Yes, sir. Sir, I’ve been waiting all week to see how former President Bartlet would recover. I heard yesterday afternoon he’s starting to come out of the coma that he’s been in since the accident. Which is good, but I’ve been told that it may take a while and it’s unknown if he’ll ever come back to the Presidency.”

“Yes, Ron. I’ve heard that too from Abbey. The doctors just don’t know yet how he’ll recover or how long it’ll take.”

“Well, sir, for security purposes it would be much easier if President Russell and his family was here in the Residence which, compared to the Naval Observatory, is much easier to secure plus there’s no commuting back and forth to the Oval Office.”

Down deep, Leo had been waiting for this topic to come up. And he didn’t know what the hell to tell Ron. Everything Ron was saying was true. To have the President on site, in the Residence, was the best option, especially in the middle of night if something arose that required him to be in the Situation Room. But he wondered how Abbey would take it? Especially now that Jed was just beginning his recovery. He also knew Abbey was not going to have any choice. Jed, at least for the time being, was the former President. And there could be no argument about that.

“Ron, have you discussed this with Russell yet?”

“No, sir. I have the utmost respect and admiration for President and Mrs. Bartlet and I wanted to talk to you first before I mentioned it to President Russell.”

“Thank you, Ron. May I speak to Abbey about this privately first? And then get back to you? I can handle it delicately although I think she realizes such a transition is inevitable, at least for the period of Jed’s recovery.”

“Certainly, Mr. McGarry. I know you and the Bartlets have a close relationship and I think coming from you Mrs. Bartlet will handle the request better. I really hate making the request, but you do understand, don’t you?”

“Completely, Ron. I would never do anything to put the security of any President at risk.”

“Thank you, Mr. McGarry.”

After thinking for a few minutes, he picked up the phone and dialed the familiar number. 

“Hi Abbey. It’s Leo. How is Jed today?”

“A little more aware. He opened his eyes this morning when Zoey and I asked him to. And followed the nurse’s commands. So that’s a big achievement. The doctor is pleased. He thinks Jed is making good progress and might even be ready for discharge to rehab by the end of the week.”

“That’s excellent news. Are you going to allow Liz and Ellie to come down and see him?”

“Maybe midweek. He’s still not speaking. Just random noises. Dr. Wilson feels he did not have a stroke. That this is all part of the awakening process from the coma. So, we just wait for every step. Since my specialty is not neuro, this is all new to me.”

“Well, I’m calling to see if you’ll have dinner with me tomorrow night at my hotel. I can order a nice meal to be delivered to my hotel room and you can relax a little bit. I know you’ve been going in circles since you got back and it might do you some good to just relax and be away from the hospital for a couple of hours. Zoey can stay with her father and you’re only ten minutes away if she needs you. What do you think? Just a couple of old friends?”

The pause on the other end gave Leo a scare that maybe Abbey would refuse. He didn’t say anything else, waiting for her response.

“You know Leo, that sounds really nice. I could use a little time away. And Zoey will be fine with Jed. What time?”

“How about seven?”

“Sounds great.”

“Okay. I’ll send my driver. He’ll meet you at GW’s side entrance in case there’s press still hanging around.”

“Sounds like a plan. I’m looking forward to it. See you tomorrow night, Leo. Good night.”

“’Night, Abbey.” 


	2. Chapter 2

Leo was nervously awaiting Abbey’s arrival at his hotel on Sunday evening. If Jed was to be discharged to a rehab facility, then it would complicate a move out of the Residence. He had been thinking that the easy temporary move would be back to the farm for unspecified amount of time and hopefully, after a full recovery, back to Washington and reassuming the Presidency. But with rehab, would Abbey want to stay here? That would mean trying to find a place here and all the complexity that would bring. Of course, once Jed had a complete recovery, he could decide that he was not coming back at all. All the confusion only brought on a dull headache.

The doorbell rang and Leo crossed the living room. He opened the door and found a smiling, casually dressed former First Lady at the door.

“Hi Leo. How are you?”

He reached for her hands, pulled her inside, and closed the door behind her. “I’m so glad to see you. How is Jed?”

“Oh, Leo, He is so much better. When I left, he was sitting up, answering our questions, not quite talking up a storm, but getting there. Such a dramatic change. He even joked about joining us.”

“Thank God, Abbey. I’m so happy. Does that mean I can see him tomorrow>”?

“I really think it will do him some good. The difference between yesterday and today is like night and day. He even told me to enjoy myself tonight and go home afterwards. He didn’t want to see me until tomorrow. Do you know what a relief this is? What a weight this is off my chest?”

“Yes. Everyone at the White House will be so happy to hear this great news. Do you want a glass of wine? I had some brought up just for you.”

“Absolutely. I’m celebrating tonight.”

They both walked over to the small buffet and Leo poured Abbey a glass of red wine. He then motioned them to the sofa and sat down facing her. “Dinner will be here in a few minutes. I hope you like poached bass on steamed spinach.”

“Sounds delicious.”

“Abbey, I have something to talk to you about.”

“You look serious, Leo. What is it?”

He looked down at his hands and back up at her. “Ron came to me yesterday. He was concerned about having Russell living outside of the Residence while he was acting President. I think we both know Jed’s recovery will last an unknown period of time and the Secret Service would feel better if Russell was secured in the Residence. Now, he has not approached Russell with the idea. He said he had come to me first out of respect and admiration for you and Jed. What are your thoughts?”

Before she could answer, the steward knocked and entered with dinner. As he was setting the table, Leo put up his hand and motioned Abbey not to speak until the room was clear.

Finally, the food was put on the table and the steward left. The two friends stood up and made their way to the table. Leo held the chair for Abbey and, once she was seated, then seated himself.

“Okay, now what do you think?”

She put her glass on the table and meshed her fingers together. “Leo, I have been thinking that this question was going to come at some point. After Russell was sworn in, I knew we were guests at the White House. And I want to very honest with you about my feelings. Legally, Jed is an ex-President and will be until he is able to, wants to return to the office. Personally, and confidentially, I hope he doesn’t want to return. Now, that shouldn’t come as any surprise to you. But that should be his decision when he is capable of making such a decision. And he is certainly not at this time. In the meantime, Ron is correct. The Residence is much more secure than any place in Washington. Also, much more of a fishbowl, but also more secure. So, I’m in agreement with Ron that we need to move out. Now the question is when and how. Based on this new development, I want to discuss this with Jed on a level that he will understand at his current level of functioning, and also with Dr. Wilson to see what he will need after discharge. After that, I can tell you what plans I need to make and the dates they can be implemented. At the most, I estimate it would take two weeks to get everything arranged. And as part of the arrangement, if we decide to go back to the farm, can we travel on 28000? It would help Jed be more comfortable on the short trip. I know Russell would have to approve it, but I can’t see him denying that special request.”

“Abbey, do you think, after all this, that Jed would want to come back to the Presidency?”

“Leo, your guess is as good as mine. He’s been in the job five years. He’s achieved a lot. He can’t be reelected. But who knows what he’ll decide? I really don’t know. I don’t want him to have any regrets.”

“Okay, Abbey. I’ll relay this to Ron and ask him to keep it confidential until you get back to me. Now let’s eat before this gets cold.”


	3. Chapter 3

Abbey was driven to the Residence and walked slowly back to their bedroom for the last five years. Sitting down on the sofa, she got to thinking about the conversation she just had with Leo. They had talked about other things for the remainder of the evening. Everything that had been needed to said about their future had been said before dinner. Now it was up to her and Jed. Probably just up to her husband. It was such a major decision that affected both of them. But did it affect Jed more than her? It was hard to think that this was an equal decision. He had been President of the United States. His decisions had affected the entire world. A yes or a no could send troops into war, stock markets rising or crashing, or people losing or gaining jobs. Incredible power as well as incredible responsibility. His decisions affected not only the three hundred million people of the United States, but rippled throughout the world. She always knew the impact he had as President, but never felt so strongly her responsibility for them until now. Until his health had impacted his ability to make those decisions clearly. Even with MS, his mind stayed cleared. It was his body that played tricks on him.

Needing a change, she got up and walked out of the bedroom. Nodding to the agent by the door, she turned and got in the elevator. On the first floor, she turned to the West Wing and wandered through the staff offices. Given that it was late on a Sunday night, the offices were empty. Abbey had hoped that they were. She proceeded past Debbie’s desk and opened the door to the Oval Office. She hadn’t been here since Russell had been sworn in so she didn’t know if he had made any changes. As she looked around, she noted that the wall pictures had remained the same and the knick knacks hadn’t changed. Jed’s personal pictures had been removed and Russell’s had been placed in their place. She understood. Russell didn’t want look at Jed’s family when he was working. After all, the desk was his. At this time, it was only temporary but who knew how long it would be when Jed reassumed his duties? If he ever did.

Before memories overwhelmed her, she left the Oval and returned to the Residence. She took a hot shower and slid between the clean sheets, totally emotionally and physically exhausted. Since her arrival home, so much had occurred that she had had trouble getting her mind around it. But now that Jed was recovering, there were big decisions ahead. And she had to be rested and clear headed to handle them.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, refreshed and ready to face whatever decision was made, Abbey entered Jed’s room to see him sitting in a chair, eating solid food for the first time in a week.

“My, my, don’t you look good?”

He just smiled at her. “I think so. You hungry?” motioning to the food.

“Uh, no thanks. I’ve already eaten.”

“Chicken. You just don’t want this delicious hospital food.”

Abbey smiled. It was so good to see that Jed had not lost his sense of humor.

“How are you feeling?”

“Good. The nurse said they were going to let me try a shower today. And get out of this gown and into some pajamas. Of course, with help. My legs are really weak, but then I’ve been told I’ve been in bed for a week.”

Abbey sat down next to him. “Jed, do remember anything prior to waking up here?” She didn’t want to push him but she wanted to know how much he did remember. She needed to know.

He put down the fork and thought a minute. “I think I remember you were gone. I remember we talked and you were getting on a plane to go somewhere.”

“Do you remember where I was?’

“Let me think a minute. It’s kind of fuzzy.” Abbey was silent, waiting on Jed’s brain to work though the fuzz. “I think you were in South Africa. Is that correct?”

“Yes. Do you remember anything after that?”

“No. Why should I? Wasn’t that last week?”

“Do you remember your accident?”

“No. Should I? I mean the aide just said I had been in the bed for a week but she didn’t say why. Abbey, is there something you should tell me? Is there something I’m missing?”

“Jed, I have one more question. What month is it?”

“It’s May.”

Abbey’s heart jumped but she didn’t react. It was late June.

Before she could answer, Zoey walked in. “Hey Daddy. Don’t you look good?”

Abbey was relieved that her daughter had walked in at just that moment. She couldn’t bear to tell her once brilliant husband that his brain was not up to its previous self. She would have to talk to Dr. Wilson in private before figuring out what her next steps were. But she knew then that they were moving back to the farm within two weeks. Now the problem was how to break the news to her husband who she guessed still thought he was President of the United States.

“I’m going for a short walk. You two will be okay, won’t you?”

“Sure, Abbey.”

“Yeah, Mom.”

Abbey walked over to the empty conference room that was available to anyone when there was no meeting and dialed Leo’s cell phone. When there was no answer, she dialed his office line.

“Leo McGarry’s office.”

“Margaret, this is Abbey…”

“Mrs. Bartlet, how are you? Leo told us the good news about the President. That’s fantastic.”

“Yes, Margaret. We are very happy that he’s going to be fine. Hey, can you tell me where Leo is? I need to talk to him.”

“Mrs. Bartlet, he’s in the Situation Room with President Russell. Can I give him a message? As you know, I have no idea when he will be back.”

Abbey smiled. She was well aware of how the Situation Room worked. “If you would just have Leo call me on my cell at his convenience, I would appreciate it. It’s not an emergency. I just want to talk with him about something.”

“I will make sure he gets the message, Mrs. Bartlet. Please give the President my best.”

“I will, Margaret. Thank you.”

The two women hung up. Abbey sat there for a moment, deciding what her next action should be. She decided that Liz and Ellie should be told that they could come if they desired, but she was going to tell Liz about the possibility that they would be back at the farm in a couple of weeks so if she wanted to wait then it was okay not to come all the way to Washington right now.

As she was leaving Ellie a message, there was a knock on the door. She opened it and Dr. Wilson was waiting for her. She motioned him in and ended her call. Closing the door behind him, she asked him about what happened this morning with Jed.

“It’s just short-term memory loss, Dr. Bartlet. I’m really not worried. In time, after the brain heals, he should be able to remember everything, including that missing month.”

“Do you know how long that will be?”

“Dr. Bartlet, I am going to ask you a question.”

“Okay.”

“Your specialty is cardiology, Cardio-thoracic specifically.”

“Yes.”

“When your patient has a heart attack and asks you how long it will be before they can resume their normal lifestyle, what do you tell them?”

“I give them the minimal answer of four to six weeks.”

“In reality, what are you really thinking?”

“I should really tell them I don’t know. Each person heals at their own speed. Some faster some slower.”

“You have my answer. The brain is similar to the heart. It heals at its own speed. Your husband’s memory should return intact. Like I have said before, there is no evidence of any stroke so it is all related to the fall and the clots that I removed. So, the damage done is mainly superficial. But it still is damage and damage still has to heal. I’m very pleased with his progress so far. I really am. Especially in the last 24 hours. I would like to discharge him on Wednesday. I don’t think he will need inpatient rehab, but he will need outpatient work. We can arrange it to be done here if you would like, or it can be done at the White House. You can choose.”

“That’s something else I need to talk to you about.”


	5. Chapter 5

“As you know, there is a new President. My husband is considered an ex-President and as such we should not be living in the White House. For security reasons, President Russell and his family should be living there. They have been very gracious about me staying there while Jed has been so critical but now that he’s recovering, I think it is time to vacate so they can have the space they’re supposed to have. I have not talked to my husband yet. And if he is missing the month we think he is, he thinks he is still the President and will go home to the White House. This is going to be a very delicate discussion to have with him and I think he’s not going to take it very well because he will then realize he has lost some of his memory. I have left a message for his Chief of Staff to call me and we’ll discuss the best way to do this. By the way, he is also my husband’s best friend, but either way it won’t be easy to do. Do you have any suggestions?”

Dr. Wilson thought a minute. “Dr. Bartlet, you have to be honest with your husband. As with any patient, honesty is best. If it affects him negatively, that a chance we have to take. I’m sure, as long as you two have been married, you have found that lying to one another only brings trouble down the road. And with something this big and this public, how are you going to hide it?”

Abbey could only nod her head. She had reached that conclusion herself, but it wouldn’t be easy. “If he gets too upset, will you leave some kind of sedative?”

“I really don’t want to sedate him when he’s come so far, but if you think he would get that upset, I’ll leave an order to be given just in case. But I beg you not to ask for it unless it’s absolutely needed. Understand?”

“I understand. Thank you. I have another request.”

“Yes?”

“We will probably be going back to our farm outside of Manchester New Hampshire. Can you recommend someone in that area that can help him with the therapy he will need?”

“Certainly.”

Abbey stood and so did Dr. Wilson. “Thank you. I really appreciate everything you and your staff has done for my husband over this past week and a half. I doubt he would still be alive if it wasn’t for the skill and dedication that each of you exhibited. Thank you so much.”

“It was our pleasure, Dr. Bartlet. I wish you and the President only the best.”

Both professionals hugged each other, knowing and respecting the true feelings of gratitude and skill.

After Dr. Wilson left, Abbey sat down again and dialed Liz’s number.

“Hi Liz. It’s Mom. Got a minute?”

“Sure. How’s Dad?’

“He’s great. Ate a real breakfast in a chair. They were going to give him a shower today and wash that greasy hair of his. He’s really in a great mood.”

“Fantastic. Sounds like I can come see him.”

“Well, that’s why I called. There’s a couple of things I need to tell you. Your father’s short-term memory has been affected. The doctor is not worried and thinks with time it will come back. He’s missing about a month. I haven’t asked him yet, but I think he still thinks he’s still President.”

“Mom…”

“Wait, Liz. I’m not finished. Leo came to me yesterday and the Secret Service wants Russell to live in the Residence for security reasons and I totally understand. Your father is legally the ex-president, and usually the ex-president has already left the White House before the President has been sworn in, so this is a bit unusual. It’s not Russell asking, but Ron Butterfield. He waited until he knew that Jed was going to recover and I appreciate that very much. But I have to break all this to your father tonight, and then the Residence staff will have to pack our things tomorrow. Your father will be discharged on Wednesday and we’ll be back at the farm by Wednesday night. I need you to open the farm, get some groceries, get a bed in the living room for your father to sleep in until his legs get more strength in them. Probably get me some night help so I can sleep upstairs at night without worrying. I know this is short notice, but do you think you can do this?”

“Of course, Mom. I have some friends that have been begging me to tell them how they could help, so I guess I can call them in. Have you told anyone else?”

“No, not yet. Leo knows part of it, but not all of the details. Certainly not your sisters or your father. Not yet at least. Leo will be here later to help me tell him. Listen, I have to go. It’s going to be a very busy forty-eight hours. I’ll call if I think of anything else. Please keep this as quiet as you can. I don’t want a lot of press attention and if we can get out of Washington without too much fuss, that would be great.”

“Okay. Good luck. Tell Dad I love him.”

“I will, Sweetie. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Abbey took a deep breath and started out the door when her phone rang. She saw the caller ID and sat down. It was Leo returning her call.


	6. Chapter 6

“How ya doing?”

“Okay, I guess. Leo, I’m going to need some help.”

“You know I’m here. What ‘cha need?”

“Jed has short term memory loss.” She went on to describe the incident in the room this morning. The loss of a month’s worth of memory. The likely chance that he still thinks he’s President. The doctor’s calm reassurance that it is probably temporary and will resolve over time. “God, Leo, I hope so. But I have to tell him today that Russell’s President and he is missing a month’s worth of memory and that we have to move out of the White House. Which is another thing I need to let you know. The doctor says Jed is doing so good that he is discharging him on Wednesday so that means we going back to the farm that day. I haven’t had a chance to tell anyone except Liz. The Residence staff will have to be told so they can start making arrangements. I want to tell my East Wing Staff goodbye in person, but right now I don’t see how I can. It’s all a big mess. I thought I would have more time, but I don’t think it would be a good idea for him to go back to the White House given the current circumstances.”

“I agree with you Abbey. I’ll let Margaret know so she can start making calls. And I’ll let Ron know.”

“Leo, I want no fuss made. I don’t want the press to know until after we’re back at the farm. With Jed’s memory loss, I feel it would be too stressful for him.”

“You’re probably right. What about telling the Senior Staff? They should know. I think they would want to say goodbye. They have loved you and Jed and have a lot of respect for him. And we really don’t know if he’s coming back, do we?”

“No, we don’t.”

“I hear hesitancy in your voice. What’s wrong?”

“I have to tell Jed about the situation, his not being the President, not living in the White House, missing the month out of his memory and I don’t know how he’s going to take it. That’s the main reason I want you here when I do it. I don’t know how it’s going to affect him. And adding the impact of the Senior Staff saying goodbye just might be too much. Do you understand where I’m coming from?”

“Yeah, I see your point. I’ll think of something to tell them. Are you…?” Before Leo could finish his sentence, the door to the conference room flew open and Zoey screamed “MOM! IT’S DAD! YOU HAVE TO COME RIGHT NOW!” Leo couldn’t help but hear that.

“Leo, I’ve got to go.” And the line went dead. 

Both Abbey and Zoey ran across the hall and burst through the door. Two nurses were trying to hold Jed in the bed, but were having a hard time doing so.

Jed turned his head as Abbey come into the room. “Abbey, the television just said something about Russell being President. That’s not true. What happened? Was there some kind of coup? Why am I not the President?”

Abbey calmly walked over to the bed and took the place of one of the nurses and placed her hand on her husband’s forehead. “Shh. Calm down. It’ll be okay. Calm down.” Gradually Jed calmed down enough for the other nurse to release his other arm and back away.

“Abbey, tell me what’s going on? Am I going crazy?” Her heart broke at the look in her husband’s eyes.

“No dear, you’re not crazy.” She turned to the nurses and Zoey. “Can you leave us alone for a few minutes? We’ll be fine.” She watched as the three women left the room.

Abbey pulled up a chair and sat down. Looking into her husband’s eyes, she started the explanation. “Jed, listen carefully to me. Now, some of what I’m about to say may not make much sense, but just listen. After I finish, I will answer your questions. Okay?”

Jed nodded.

She continued. “Over a month ago, I left for a three-week trip. On that trip I went to South Africa, just like you remembered.” She would tell him about Australia later. “But that was about three weeks ago. About ten days ago you fell in the bathroom at the White House and hit your head and did quite a number on it. You were brought here and had two surgeries.”

“I don’t remember.”

“That’s right because you have been in a coma since your fall. It’s been touch and go and you only truly awoke from your coma a couple of days ago. In the meantime, the country had to have a President so Bob Russell was sworn in as acting President. Leo has remained as Chief of Staff and your Senior Staff has stayed with Russell. But…”

“But what?”

“Remember this morning when I asked what month this was?”

“Yes?”

“What did you say?”

“I said it was May.”

Abbey swallowed. “Jed, it’s late June. You’re missing a whole month from your memory.”

“What?!”

“A possible complication from the coma is loss of some short-term memory. Your doctor isn’t worried and believes its temporary. He thinks with time it will return but there is not a set schedule. The brain heals at its own rate. He assures me you have not had a stroke and that is good news. But you still have healing to go through.”

Jed lay there, silent, digesting what Abbey was saying. Not President. Memory loss. Brain damage that needs to heal. Coma.

“Jed, talk to me.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“I have something else to tell you.”

“You do? What else could there be?”

“We are leaving the White House. We’re going back to the farm Wednesday.”

A single tear flowed from Jed’s left eye. Abbey reached up and wiped it away.

“What’s wrong, babe?”

“I don’t know. I just, I just…” He couldn’t continue.

“Do you need something to calm you down? The doctor has something on standby if you need to get some rest. I know it’s a lot to take in all at once. I’m sorry to be one to tell you, but you had to know. And I wanted to be the one.”

Abbey leaned up and kissed him. A very gentle kiss. But she felt the tremors that were very gently shaking his body. All the news she had just shared had upset him and he was trying his best to hide it, but his body was betraying him.

She grabbed the call button and pressed it.

One of the nurses came in. “Yes, ma’am?”

“Dr. Wilson left an order for a sedative for my husband. Can he please have it?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll be right back.”

Abbey pulled back the covers and eased Jed’s body underneath it while waiting for the nurse to return. The gentle tremors continued and he never uttered a word. He just kept staring into space, trying to comprehend all of the things he had just been told. How his life had changed in a matter of minutes.

The nurse returned and injected her patient with the calming sedative. Pulling up the side rails, she and Abbey waited as the drug took effect. Jed’s eyes closed and his breathing evened out. Even the gentle tremors eventually quit.

“He’ll sleep for a while.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll be outside if you need me.”

Then Abbey was alone. There were two people. But only one had conscious thoughts. Thoughts that were swirling around in her brain with no sign of resolution. 


	7. Chapter 7

After making sure he was truly asleep. Abbey stood up, leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her husband’s forehead. “Sleep in peace, please,” she whispered.

She turned and left the room. Exiting, she saw Zoey talking to someone, but couldn’t make quite who. It only took a second to recognize that person to be Leo.

“Leo! What are you doing here?”

“I was worried when you dropped the line so fast. So I hurried down here so I could offer my help.”

“Thanks.” Abbey was trying not to tear up in front of her daughter but the emotions of the past hour was forcing tears out of her eyes.

“Mom! Is Dad okay?”

“Yeah honey. I’m sorry. He’s asleep. The nurse just had to give him something to help him calm down a little bit. He’ll be fine when he wakes up. Listen, I need to talk to you, but let me talk to Leo for a minute and then we’ll have a chat, okay?”

“Sure, Mom. I’ll just go and sit with Dad.”

“Thanks honey. I love you.”

“I know that, Mom.”

She watched Zoey close the room door and then turn to Leo. “I had to tell him everything, Leo. He saw some sort of story on the news about President Russell and kind of freaked out. After I told him, he just shut down and started to shake. I thought the best thing to do was to help him rest. He didn’t need to get any more upset than he already was. I hope I made the right choice. God, I hope I didn’t make things worse.” More tears started to fall.

Leo took Abbey to a nearby sofa and gently pulled her down. He got close to her and hugged her tightly while she let her tears just flow until there were no more to come. Handing her his handkerchief, he tried to reassure her. “You made the choice that was best for him at the time you had to make it. That’s all you could do. Don’t second guess it. It’s done. Move on. As he’s so fond of saying, ‘What’s next?”

That comment made Abbey smile. “You’re right. I have to move forward. There’s too much to do. Have you told Ron? The Senior Staff? Russell? Oh God, there’s just too much to do.”

“Calm down, Abbey. I called Ron and he’s fine. Margaret has the ball rolling with the Chief Usher in the Residence. They are used to doing things with short notice. Lilli has been notified. I haven’t had a chance yet to tell the staff, but will as soon as I get back. Russell will be told by Ron and I’ll follow up with him. If he gets his feelings hurt, tough. And I will make sure you get 28000 Wednesday if I have to pay for it myself. But as an ex-president, Russell owes it to Jed.”

“Thank you, Leo. You’ve always been a great friend to both of us. I’m going to miss you.”

“I’ll come when I can. And it’s not permanent yet. No permanent decision has been made. Has it?”

“No. You know my feelings, but you also know how stubborn a healthy Jed Bartlet can be. We will wait and watch. God has worked miracles. He can certainly work one for Jed.”

“Now that is what I like to hear.”

“Alright. I’m calmer now. Do you want to go in there and stay with him while I talk with Zoey? It shouldn’t take very long. I know you can two can’t talk, but at least you see him before we leave on Wednesday. Everyone knows your schedule is always subject to the whims of the world.”

“Abbey, that’s a great way of putting it. Yeah, I’ll send Zoey out.” He leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek. “It’ll be okay. I promise. And it’ll work out the way it’s meant to be.”

Leo stood and strode through the door. Shortly Zoey came out and Abbey patted the empty place on the sofa. “Come here honey. Let me tell you a few things.”

Zoey took the news with strength and calm. She understood the health status of her father and the damage the clots had done to his brain. She expressed understanding of the unknown length of the healing process and the accompanying memory loss. She also understood the political ramifications of the move from the White House back to New Hampshire. Since she was already ensconced in the dorm at GW University, her life wouldn’t change much. She would lose her Secret Service escort, and she wouldn’t see her parents as much as she used to. Neither one seemed to bother her much. Of course, Charlie would stay in Washington.

Jed slept through the afternoon. Abbey grabbed a quick lunch in the cafeteria, but otherwise stayed in the room in case he woke up and wanted questions answered. Zoey left midafternoon to run a few errands and asked her mother to call her if she needed her. Otherwise, she would be back tomorrow morning.

It was getting dark when Dr. Wilson made his evening rounds. Abbey had been napping, but woke when someone walked up to the bedside and disturbed her.

“Oh, I’m sorry I disturbed you. How has he been? I understand there was an incident this morning.”

“Yes. He heard something on the news this morning and he kind of freaked out. I explained things to him the best I could, but then he started shaking and just staring into space. I thought if he could get some sleep, he would feel better so I asked the nurse to give him the sedative you had ordered. And he’s been sleeping ever since.”

“What time was that?”

“I think that was about ten or eleven.”

“And it’s six now. That’s means he’s been asleep for about seven hours. Let me check him.”

“Are you worried?”

“Just let me check him.”

Abbey noted that Dr. Wilson went through the standard neuro checks. When he got down to pinching Jed’s foot, there was no response. He did it again. Still no response from her husband.

Abbey knew enough that the responses were not the responses from a coma free patient. She immediately got very worried.

Dr. Wilson turned to her with a very worried face. But before he even uttered a word, she knew what he was going to say.

“Dr. Bartlet, your husband has slipped back into a coma. The only good thing is that he’s breathing on his own.”


	8. Chapter 8

After Jed was moved back to the third floor Neuro ICU for closer observation, Abbey sat in the waiting room by herself, trying to decide her next move. Dr. Wilson had said that the regression could last overnight, while the sedative worked its way through the brain and out of the body or if the brain had been overwhelmed by the information Abbey had given Jed, then nobody knows when he would wake up. It would be up to his brain to decide when it could handle the waking state again. There was no way to tell.

Either way, Abbey felt totally responsible for either giving him the sedative in trying to help him rest or giving him all of the information about his condition, him not being President, and having to move back to farm all at once. For a person already so fragile, she just heaped insult onto injury. And she had done all those things. Decisions had consequences. And right now, her decisions could have killed her husband. And still could. There were no guarantees that he would survive this latest setback.

She picked up her phone and dialed Leo. She knew he would still be at the White House, probably talking with Russell.

The phone rang a couple of times and finally Leo picked up. “Abbey,” he whispered. “Can I call you back?”

“Leo, it’s Jed. He’s taken a turn for the worse. And I’m the one that did it. Can you come?”

There was a pause. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” The line went dead.

Within thirty minutes, Leo was in the waiting room, sitting by Abbey’s side. “What happened?”

“Oh, Leo. I did it. I’m responsible for this.” She only kept repeating those words. Her sobs echoed off the tiled walls of the waiting area of the room. Nothing he could do could calm her down. Finally, he left her in a chair and sought out a nurse in the ICU. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but I’m a friend of Mrs. Bartlet’s. She’s out in the waiting room, and she’s just crying hysterically and I can’t get her to calm down. I don’t know if it’s exhaustion or what, but can you help her?”

“Yes, sir. We’ll get someone to see her.”

Within fifteen minutes Abbey had been wheeled down to the ER to be assessed by the staff. Leo had accompanied her, but they wouldn’t let him go in the exam room. Over an hour later, a nurse came out and said he could come in and see her. He found her lying on a stretcher, covered by a sheet. Her clothes had been exchanged for a hospital gown and an IV was infusing in her left arm. Her eyes were closed and her head lagged to the side. Leo sat down in the only chair and softly called her name. “Abbey?” She opened her eyes but they were glazed over, not really focusing on anything.

“Abbey? It’s Leo.”

“Leo? What are you doing here?”

Before he answered, a doctor came to the door and motioned Leo outside.

“Are you the friend that brought her in?”

“Well, she was upstairs with her husband and she called me to come see her. When I got here, she was crying hysterically and saying something like ‘I’m responsible for this.’ I have no idea what that means though. What’s wrong with her?”

“I’ve had our on-call psychiatrist evaluate her and he thinks she is either on the verge of a nervous breakdown or could have been on the verge of committing suicide. He thinks her call to you was a cry for help and that, if you had not come, it could have turned out not to be a very nice night. By the way, forgive me if I am wrong, is this the former First Lady Abigail Bartlet?”

“Yes. Did you run a drug screen?

The young doctor stared at him. “How do you know about those things?”

“Let’s just say I do. Did you run a drug screen? What did it show?”

He looked at the chart. “High levels of Valium and Xanax. Not life-threatening levels, but certainly higher levels than we would normally expect.”

‘Damn Abbey.’ Leo had tried to warn her about those drugs months ago.

“We gave her an anti-psychotic drug to calm her down and we are going to admit her overnight for observation. Is there any family that we should notify?”

“She has three daughters, one a student here at GW, one a medical resident at Hopkins and one who lives in New Hampshire. I’ll notify all of them. Would she tell me anything if I talked to her right now?”

“I doubt it. The medicine has her pretty zoned out. It’s for her own good. I would gather she’s been under a good amount of stress recently.”

“Yeah. A lot. And most of it hasn’t been reported in the news.”

“Well, something triggered this reaction tonight and this was the outcome. Now we have to see if we can put her back together. Thank you for coming. Mr...?”

“McGarry. Leo McGarry.”

“White House Chief of…?”

“Staff, yeah. Goodnight Doctor.”


	9. Chapter 9

It was late and Leo knew Russell was already back at the Observatory, so he asked his driver to take him to his hotel. He realized that there was only one thing he could do to help his best friends find their way through his and it would take several phone calls to arrange it.

The first call was to Russell. “Mr. President, I’m sorry to bother you so late. But I just let GW.”

“That’s okay, Leo. How is Mrs. Bartlet?” Leo had to tell the President what Abbey needed before he could leave.

“Not good, Sir. They think she may be on the edge of having a nervous breakdown.” The other option was just too horrible to discuss with others. “They have admitted her for observation tonight, given her medication and will reassess her tomorrow. What with what happened in Australia and then with her husband, the stress has been intense.”

“Absolutely, Leo. Absolutely. What did you want to talk to me about?”

“Sir, I am requesting some leave. I have about 200 hours of personal leave and I would like to take some of that. Right now, I am estimating a week but it could turn out to be more. Josh is well qualified to step in and Sam can assist him with his domestic issues. And if emergencies arise, I would also be available by phone.”

“Is this related to the issues that the former President and Mrs. Bartlet are experiencing right now?”

“Yes, Sir. It is.”

Leo could tell that Russell really didn’t like the idea that Leo would not be there so early in his administration to guide him, but then he did have a heart, unlike some critics of his who had written articles bemoaning the fact that he may not.

“Sir, the Bartlets and I have been very close to each other for many, many years and Jed and I go back even before he married Abbey. I know this is a huge inconvenience to you, but it is something I feel very strongly about.”

The silence on the other end of the line continued. Finally, Leo couldn’t stand it any longer. “Mr. President, I don’t want to do it, but if you won’t grant me leave which I have earned, I will resign immediately. And I am not bluffing. My relationship with the Bartlets means more to me than the Chief of Staff position to the Presidency.”

That seemed to get the President’s attention. “Okay, Leo. Take whatever time you need. Please bring Josh up to speed on items on your desk. And give my best to Jed and Abbey at the appropriate time. Good night, Leo.” As the line went dead, Leo breathed a sigh of relief. Now the real work started.

He spent the next hour on the phone with Josh, who wasn’t really surprised at Leo’s decision. He was well aware of Leo’s relationship with the former First Family and knew how much the three of them meant to each other. Josh promised to let the Senior Staff and Margaret know first thing in the morning. And help CJ with the press announcement. Any thought of keeping all of this with the Bartlet’s low-key with the press had just evaporated with Leo’s decision, but that was the chance he had had to take.

By the time he got off the phone with Josh it was midnight. It was too late to call the girls but he would call them first thing in the morning before he headed back to GW. But it wasn’t too late to make another call. This one to California.

Leo let the phone ring a couple of times, hoping Stanley was in his office. On the fourth ring there was a pickup. “Dr. Keyworth.”

“Stanley? Leo McGarry.”

“Leo, good to hear from you. Isn’t it late on the East Coast?”

“Yes, it is Stanley. But I had to talk with you tonight.”

“Is Josh okay?”

“Yes, he’s doing fine. Hasn’t had any episodes as far as I know.”

“Is it about the President? Well, I guess I should say the former President. I was sorry to hear about his fall, but the last I heard he was doing better.”

“Indirectly Stanley. A few hours ago, Abbey Bartlet had what an ER doctor described to me as either a prelude to a nervous breakdown or a prelude to a suicide attempt.”

“I see.”

“They, I mean the on-call psychiatrist, gave her what he called an antipsychotic medication, didn’t say what it was, and admitted her overnight for observation.”

“What symptoms were she exhibiting?”

“Let me give you some background. Jed had been awake and in a great mood and then he heard something about Russell being President and Abbey described it as ‘he kind of freaked out’. After they talked, he started shaking so she requested a standby sedative be given to him. He went to sleep and slipped back into a light coma. When his doctor made rounds, he put Jed back in ICU for observation. And Abbey blamed herself. By the time she called me to the hospital, she was sobbing uncontrollably and repeating that she was responsible for his condition. One of the floor nurses took her to the ER where they then assessed her and sedated her. That’s pretty much the whole story.”

“Interesting.”

“What do you think, Stanley? I know you said you won’t diagnose long distance. Abbey has been under intense stress for the past few weeks. You’ve probably heard about her plane ditching in the Indian Ocean off Australia. All through it she has kept her cool, her authority. Even when she got back to Washington and saw Jed, I don’ think she let down much. Oh, there were a few times where she cried but most of the time she was in charge, putting on a façade of strength. First for the plane passengers, then for her family, then for her husband. I wouldn’t be surprised if the diagnosis was a nervous breakdown and the trigger was the slip back into the coma. But again, you’re the expert.”

“That’s right, Leo. Do think I would be of any help if I came out there?”

“Stanley, I would be thrilled if you could come out here. I would pay for your services and first-class airfare. Tomorrow, excuse me, later this morning, it will be announced that I will be taking an indefinite leave of absence from my position for personal reasons. I just cannot leave my friends to navigate this on their own.”

“Okay. Let me look at my schedule.” There was momentary silence as Leo heard pages being flipped. “Well you’re in luck. I’ll text you my flight number. I’ll take the redeye leaving tonight at midnight. See you sometime tomorrow.”

“Stanley, thank you so much. I really appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome Leo. See you soon. Bye.”

Leo hung up, knowing that finally something was going to go right. But there were so many other things that could still go wrong.


	10. Chapter 10

Leo only slept off and on. Every time he woke up, his mind started racing with every thought in the book, including the fact the fact the psychiatrist would even think that Abbey would consider committing suicide. The thought that the woman he had known for over thirty years, the physician who saved lives, the Catholic who believed solidly in the sanctity of life, the mother who fought tooth and nail for the lives she and Jed had brought into this world, would consider taking her own life was just not even thinkable. But the doctor must have heard something from Abbey herself in his evaluation of her during that hour that would have led him to that conclusion. But he couldn’t lay the burden of that on the girls. No, he just couldn’t. They were already dealing with too much as it was.

Once the clock turned to seven am, he made two quick calls. The nurse on duty in Neuro ICU said there had been no changes in Jed’s condition overnight. The call to the Psychiatric floor was a little more difficult. He had trouble explaining who he was and why he was inquiring about Abbey. The nurse was reluctant to give out information to just anyone on their patient, especially one with such high public visibility. He finally pulled rank and used the Chief of Staff identity and claimed he was calling on behalf of the President of the United States. That loosened up the information quickly. Abbey had had a restless night once the drug that she had been given in the ER wore off. They had tried small doses of three different drugs but until they doubled the third drug, they didn’t get any results. She would sleep for a few more hours anyway. The doctor on call didn’t understand the problem. Anyway, given her medical status, she wasn’t going to be allowed any visitors until they figured out what was going on. Even her daughters couldn’t see her. And certainly, non-family members were not allowed. He asked that her assigned psychiatrist give him a call. When asked why by the nurse, Leo snapped. “Because I asked.”

“Well, you don’t have to be so nasty.”

“Please have him call me.” He left his number and hung up.

Breakfast was delivered, and he was sipping his coffee as he began to call the Bartlet children. Well, the Bartlet adults.

First, Zoey. “Leo, you are talking about my mother, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Sweetie. I was there. It was ugly. I’m so glad that none of you were there. Now they aren’t allowing visitors, but you can see your Dad. And stay in the waiting room. I’m going to call the other two and encourage them to come down. I’ll come up soon. If you need me, just call, okay?”

“Okay.”

The next call was to Ellie. Luckily, she was in her apartment. It was her day off.

“Now let me get this straight. Dad was fine, and now he’s back in a coma?’

“Yes.”

“And the doctors think Mom was on the verge of a nervous breakdown and the medicines they tried to give her last night didn’t work until they doubled the dose?”

“Yes.”

“Leo, do you know how crazy this all sounds?”

“Yes Ellie, I do. But I was there. I talked to all the doctors. I saw your mom hysterical and saw her losing control. She was not herself at all. She was a totally different person.”

“Okay, I take your word. I’ll catch the next train down and then a taxi to the hospital.”

“You might need to contact your supervisor and pack a bag. I have no idea how long this will go on. And they have to move out of the White House as soon as possible, Your mother agreed to move before this all occurred. Ron Butterfield wants President Russell more secure than he is now at the Naval Observatory.”

“Oh hell, Leo. What else can happen?”

“I hope nothing else.”

“Okay. I should be there by noon. Tell Zoey I’ll come to the third floor waiting room.”

“Thanks, Ellie. I’ll give her the message.”

Leo hung up. Two down. One to go.

He ate his cold breakfast and then dialed Liz’s number in New Hampshire. He hoped he had waited long enough for Annie and Gus to be in school. He waited patiently for the phone to answered, but he only got her got her cell phone message “This is Liz. Leave your message and I will call you back.”

“Liz, this is Leo. Please call me on my cell. I have some news about your parents. Please call me as soon as possible. Thanks.”

He got up, took a shower and dressed in what he considered casual clothes and checked to see if Liz had called him back. So far, no call back. He wondered where she was and then he remembered that Abbey said she was going to open up the farmhouse today. Leo sat down and looked through his contacts, trying to find a specific number from a long time ago. He hated to use it but thought that this, if anytime, was the time and place to call in a favor. Dialing the number, he hoped Liz didn’t kill him for doing this.

Liz and her friends had pulled in the driveway of the farmhouse, determined to get an early start before it got too hot. They walked up the steps, unlocked the door and put the cleaning supplies down.

“Just start opening the windows and dust the living room. I’ll start cleaning the kitchen and then we’ll go upstairs to the bedrooms.” Liz and her friends separated and were intent on doing their tasks and didn’t see the county sheriff pull into the driveway. A uniformed man got out of the car and made his way up the stairs and across the porch. Knocking on the open door, he stuck his head in and yelled, “Mrs. Westin, are you here?”

Liz thought she heard someone yell her name, but then shook her head. Nobody knew she was here but her friends and they were cleaning themselves. But then she heard the yell again. “Mrs. Westin, are you here?”

Liz came out of the kitchen at the same time her friends came out of the living room. They met in the foyer. “Are you looking for me?” Liz asked.

“Are you Mrs. Westin?”

“Yes. Are my children okay?”

“Ma’am, I have a message for you to call a Mr. Leo McGarry in Washington. He says its urgent.”

“Did he say anything else?”

“No, ma’am. That’s all I was told.”

Liz’s heart skipped a beat. Leo would not be calling unless something happened to both of her parents. If it was just about one of them, the other one would call.

“Ok. Thanks.” She turned to her friends. “You can stay if you want. Here’s the key. Just lock up.” With those words, she was flying down the steps, across the grass and into the car. Damn, bad time for her cell phone to be broken. “Drive safely ma’am” was the last thing she heard as she spun out of the driveway. That slowed her down just a little. It wouldn’t help if she had a wreck on the way back to the house.

Pulling into the driveway, not wasting anytime pushing open the door, she dialed Leo’s number and waited for it to go through. She didn’t realize she was holding her breath until she heard him say “Leo McGarry.”

After listening to Leo’s recap of the past twelve hours or so, she couldn’t or wouldn’t believe everything he was saying. Between her father relapsing and her mother losing her mind she just couldn’t get her mind around it. Well, that probably wasn’t a nice way to describe things, but at this point there was little else she could use to describe it. She was grateful that Leo was going to be around for her sisters, but she also knew they all needed to be together.

“Leo, I’ll have to drive to Boston to catch a commercial flight. The perks of being a President’s daughter and using Air Force jets have ended. So, it will take some time to make arrangements. And I need to talk with Doug on arrangements for the children.”

“Liz, why don’t you call the airport in Manchester and charter a jet? I’ll pay for it.”

“Leo, that’s extravagant.”

“Not when it comes to the Bartlet family. Really Liz, I mean it. Have them call me and I’ll give them all the information they need. Please let me do this for you. You need to be with your sisters and parents as soon as possible.”

Liz hesitated, but the urgency finally won out. “Okay. But when this all over, I’m going to tell Dad what you did. And you know he’s probably going to insist to write you a check.”

“Well, we’ll fight it out then. But right now, you belong here.”

“Thanks. Leo. I can’t say that enough.”

“You just get here, Liz. That’s all that matters right now.”

“Okay. Tell my sisters I’ll be there as soon as I can. Bye.”

“Bye, Sweetie.”


	11. Chapter 11

By the time Leo got to the third floor of GW, he had several missed calls. He excused himself from Zoey and found a quiet place to return the calls. The first one was from Stanley.

“I’m at the Marriott, Leo. I’ll just shower and change clothes.”

“Great. Then take a cab and come to the third floor waiting room at GW. I’ll be here waiting on you.”

“Okay. I should be there in about an hour.”

The second call was from Margaret. “Hi Margaret.”

“Hi Leo, any news?”

“I just got here.”

“All right. Mr. Wright, the Chief Usher called me and wants to know if the moving plans for tomorrow have changed.”

“I really don’t know. Let me get my bearings here and I’ll call you back.”

“Okay. I’ll let him know to standby.”

The third missed call had a GW prefix. He hoped it was from the Psychiatric Unit. It rang a few times and an unknown voice picked up. “Dr. Anderson speaking.”

“Dr. Anderson. My name is Leo McGarry and I’m a close family friend of Abigail Bartlet. I’m the one who asked the nurses to have you call me about Abbey. What can you tell me?”

“Mr. McGarry, I don’t normally discuss a patient’s health matters with anyone except family.”

“I understand, doctor. Her husband, the former President, is currently in the Neuro ICU in a coma and their children don’t have the background to understand what is going on with the former First Lady. I have been an extremely close family friend of theirs for close to forty years and I can assure you there is no problem discussing her case with me.”

Leo could tell there was still hesitation on the doctor’s part. “I have invited a well renowned psychiatrist to consult on her case and he will be here in about an hour. You may know him, Dr. Stanley Keyworth from San Francisco.”

“Well, yes, I am very familiar with his work.”

“Can we meet with you in your office to discuss Mrs. Bartlet’s case when he arrives? At that time, I will be glad to bring a signed waiver by one of her daughters if that will ease you mind.”

Dr. Anderson was impressed by this man bringing such a qualified expert to Washington on short notice. “It will be my pleasure, Mr. McGarry. My office is room 677, just outside the Psych unit. I look forward to meeting you and Dr. Keyworth in about an hour.”

“Thank you, Dr. Anderson. We’ll be there.”

Leo returned to the waiting room to find that Ellie had arrived. He was glad that Zoey finally had someone to keep her company. He hugged them both and updated them on Abbey’s condition. “I have brought in a very well-respected psychiatrist from the West coast and have a scheduled meeting with your mother’s doctor in an hour. Hopefully we’ll know more after that meeting. Liz will probably be down here later this afternoon. Zoey, have you had a chance to visit with your dad yet?”

“No.”

“Do you want me to go with you?”

“No. Now that Ellie is here, we can go together.”

“Then go ahead. I’ll be here for a little while. Let me know how he is.”

Leo watched how the two them held hands as they went down the hall, sharing strength with each other. They paused a minute outside and then disappeared inside the cubicle.

Leo sat down and tried to digest the morning and trying to plan the day’s activities. But he knew better than anyone that plans were never solid and had to kept flexible.

Zoey and Ellie finally returned, smiles across their faces. 

“Good news girls?”

“Yes.”

“He responded to our commands. He squeezed our hands and we could see that he was trying to open his eyes, but he couldn’t quite do so. The nurse was pleased, but said we shouldn’t push him too much. That we need to give him rest so we came out. She said we could try later. But it was progress.”

“Yes, that is progress.”

About that time, Stanley got off the elevator and saw Leo in the waiting room. Leo stood and shook hands with him. “Stanley, let me introduce you to President Bartlet’s adult children. First, this is Dr. Eleanor Bartlet, we call her Ellie. She’s his middle child. Ellie this is Dr. Stanley Keyworth.”

“Glad to meet you, Dr. Bartlet.”

“Same to you, Dr. Keyworth.”

“And Stanley, this is Zoey Bartlet, Jed’s youngest.”

“Glad to meet to you, Zoey.”

“Same here, Dr. Keyworth.”

“Jed’s oldest, Elizabeth, is on her way from New Hampshire. Stanley, we’re ready to go upstairs. Ladies, we’ll be back in a little while. If you need me just call, okay?”

“Okay.”


	12. Chapter 12

The three men shook hands and sat down. Dr. Anderson spoke first. “Mr. McGarry, I assume you have that release?”

“Right here.” Leo slid the signed paper across the desk.

“Thank you. Now, where do we start?”

Stanley spoke up. “I would like to start at the beginning. Did you do the assessment in the ER?”

“No.”

“Then I would to see the notes.”

Dr. Anderson slid the chart across the desk and Stanley opened it to the handwritten physician notes made the previous night. He quickly read the page and a half, nodding several times. Looking across the desk, he asked Dr. Anderson, “Did Mrs. Bartlet say anything else once she was admitted to the floor?”

“Once she was settled in the room, she slept until about 3 am when she woke and got very restless. She started saying again that her husband’s condition was her responsibility, her fault. Apparently, the same thing she was saying to Mr. McGarry before she was brought to the ER. Attempts were made to calm her down by administering standard medications, but not until we doubled the third medication’s dose was the staff successful in calming her down enough to stop her talking. She then quickly dropped off to sleep. She has only recently awakened and has not yet spoken. She responds to commands and seems aware of her surroundings, but doesn’t speak. I checked on her a little while ago and there has been no change. Her behavior is baffling and not something I’ve seen. So, I really don’t know what’s going on. I know the doctor in the ER gave a differentiating diagnosis of possible suicide but I doubt that. I really think extreme stress is the main diagnosis and I’m going with that at the present time. Her behavior may be consistent with someone who is withdrawing from reality in trying to cope with this extreme stress. Sometimes, as you well know Dr. Keyworth, in order to cope with extreme stress, patients will just withdraw and decide not to interact with the world at all. From what I understand, Mrs. Bartlet has been under extreme stress for at least the past two months and last night the negative change in her husband’s condition was the triggering factor for this episode. But you are the expert here and I would welcome your assessment of the patient.”

Stanley nodded and stood. “I am anxious to assess Mrs. Bartlet. What room is she in?”

“657. Through those doors and half way down the hall on your left.”

“Thank you, Dr. Anderson. Leo, we’ll talk later.”

“Okay. I’ll be on three.”

Leo stood as well. “Thank you, Dr. Anderson. We’ll talk later I’m sure.” 

“Yes, Mr. McGarry. I’m sure we will. Goodbye.”

Leo left and returned to the third floor waiting room. Zoey and Ellie were not there so he checked his phone for messages. There was a message from CJ asking him to call her so he pressed her number. “Hi CJ, what’s up?”

“Hi, Leo. I just wanted to let you know that someone from the hospital apparently leaked the news about Mrs. Bartlet and the press is stationed out front. They think they have a juicy story about Abbey having an emotional breakdown. You know. A tabloid type story. I’m sorry, Leo. I feel so sorry for the Bartlet girls. There’s nothing I can do.”

“Don’t worry, CJ. There’s nothing anyone can do about it. When the sharks smell blood, they will circle. I will alert them so they can hopefully find another entrance and exit. Thanks for the warning.”

“You’re welcome, Leo. Let us know if we can do anything. All of us care about the Bartlets. All of them.”

“I know, CJ. And they know it too. Thanks.”

After waiting over an hour for Zoey and Ellie to return, Leo gave up and decided to go see if there had been any changes in Jed’s condition. Leo walked over to the cubicle and was shocked to see him sitting up and talking with his two daughters. He walked into the area, trying to maintain a sense of calm that he did not feel. He was so ecstatic but given all of the recent setbacks, he wanted to be cautious.

“Jed, how are you feeling?”

His friend turned toward the voice and gave a weak smile. “Very tired, but so glad to be awake. Zoey here tells me I’ve been asleep for the last 24 hours. Last thing I remember was Abbey telling me a few things and the nurse giving me a shot. And then I woke up back here. In a different room. Zoey and Ellie were calling my name and when I opened my eyes, there they were.”

“Well, you are indeed a sight for sore eyes. I’m so glad you’re awake. Let’s stay that way for a while.”

Jed nodded his head. “I agree. Where’s Abbey? I expected to see her in here.”

Leo exchanged glances with the girls. Jed caught the exchange of glances and instantly knew they were withholding information. “Okay, what’s up? Leo, tell me what’s going on.”

Leo looked at the two girls and then back at his best friend. “All right. Now don’t get upset. You don’t need any more…”

“Leo, tell me now! Is she all right?”

“Yes Jed, I’ll be fine, after a few days’ rest.”

All heads turned to the sound of that voice. Stanley was pushing Abbey’s wheelchair into the cubicle and up to Jed’s bedside. Of course, he instantly noted the hospital robe tied over the hospital gown, the IV port taped to her hand and hospital slippers on her feet. She looked extremely tired without any makeup, but was smiling. A change in attitude that Leo was very grateful to see.

“Mom!”

“Mother!”

“Abbey! Stanley! What the hell is going on?” The last statement obviously coming from Jed himself.

Jed leaned back in the bed. “Okay. Would somebody please tell me what the hell is going on?”

Abbey and Leo laughed which was quickly copied by Zoey and Ellie.

“Jed, it’s quite a story. But I tell you what, why don’t I take the girls to get some lunch and I’ll leave you and Abbey and Stanley alone and they can give you the short version? And then I believe two of the people in this trio should get some rest. Am I right, Drs. Bartlet?”

“Yes” Repeated times three.

As Leo left with Zoey and Ellie, he mouthed to Stanley, ‘later’ and Stanley nodded. Leo needed to hear this one.


	13. Chapter 13

After lunch, Abbey had been pushed back to her room for a nap and Jed was resting as well. Leo and Stanley had found a quiet room to talk about the miracle Leo considered Stanley had engineered in Abbey’s attitude.

“Okay, Stanley. From the beginning.”

“Well, when I went into her room, she was lying in the bed, just staring into space. I introduced myself and just started asking routine questions. You know the type, how she was doing, how she was feeling right then, those kinds of things. Sometimes she would answer in one word, sometimes with complete sentences. But with time, she began to open up and we delved into deeper feelings and emotions. Abbey doesn’t have anywhere near the emotional barriers the President has. Anyway, it didn’t take any time before the main reason for her feelings came out as to why she felt she was the cause of his current medical issues. Now, I’m not going to betray patient confidentiality, but let’s just say I was able to make her see that it was not her fault, and her fatigue was clouding her ability to think clearly. And it had been that way for some time. She had left on her trip angry and had never completely resolved that anger.”

Leo thought back to his conversation with the President after his phone call with Abbey. Jed sure thought they had resolved the issue.

“So anyway, when he relapsed after she requested the sedative, all that came to the surface and emotionally broke her. A lot of that was subconscious, and she didn’t realize what was causing her reaction until we talked about it together.”

“Did she explain this to Jed this morning?”

“In a manner of speaking. If it’s okay with you, I can go with them to Manchester and continue the therapy for a couple of weeks, individually, and with them as couple. As the President begins to recover his memory, it will really be essential that they settle these issues so they can continue to heal emotionally and physically. Abbey was totally exhausted, but didn’t want to admit it to herself. So, when one adds the plane troubles and then the President’s health problems, it was bound to happen. And the dam broke last night. I’ve told you before I specialize in trauma cases. From the perspective of an outsider this might not look like trauma, but when I look at all the pieces of this puzzle, it does look like trauma to me. Trauma doesn’t have to be a gunshot or an automobile wreck to be disruptive to one’s psyche. I’ve come to know and respect Jed Bartlet, and now Abbey. I want to help them as a couple.”

“But what about your practice in California?” 

Stanley paused before he continued. “Leo, maybe you can appreciate this. I am well known in my field. I’ve been very blessed in my lifetime, so now I can pick and choose what I want to do. Although money and fame are nice, sometimes it’s not everything. Sometimes you run across something that you just want to do. Have you ever felt that way?”

Leo smiled. He thought back to that fall in Manchester when he went to the Governor’s Office and asked Jed to run for the Presidency. “Yeah, Stanley, I do.”


	14. Chapter 14

Epilogue (Two months later)

“Abbey, are you awake?”

She stirred, not wanting to become totally awake but still wanting to know what her husband wanted to discuss at this ungodly hour of the morning. Glancing at the lighted dial of the clock which showed 3:15, Abbey grunted but rolled over. “No, I’m not. But what do you want to talk about?” She opened her eyes to see her husband’s eyes reflecting the pale moonlight coming through the curtains.

“Do you think I made the right decision?”

“Only you know that. We’ve talked about this forever, Jed. You have talked to Leo. You have talked to the Senior Staff and everybody who’s anybody in the Democratic Party. We have talked to the girls about it and they gave you their honest opinion. So really, it’s all up to you. And I thought you had told Russell.”

“I was going to. But every time I pick up the phone, I chicken out.”

“Jed Bartlet. One thing you are not is chicken. Do I have to stand over you and make you do it?”

“No.”

“If you’re that unsure, then you need not do it.”

“But…”

“But nothing. You’ve served five years. You’ve only been gone three months. I know you catch up very quickly. Everyone is willing to help. God, just look at our living room floor. It already looks like your desk in the Oval Office, and you haven’t even been sworn in. Sooner or later Russell will get a whiff of this, and he will be pissed off.”

“I don’t give a sh*t how he feels.”

“Now that sounds like the President I used to know.” 

“Yes, Mrs. First Lady.”

“That’s Dr. First Lady to you.”

Jed laughed as his hand slipped up her nightgown looking for familiar territory. Abbey shuddered at the feelings she would never get enough of. Oh hell, she was already awake and might as well take advantage of the decreasing opportunities of no interruptions. Soon enough, she knew that for the next three years she would have to share her husband with the world once again.

THE END


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